All's Fair in Love and Politics
by greatgoldenbaby
Summary: Rei and Minako have been together since they were fourteen. Over a decade later, Rei has followed in her father's footsteps to become a Senator. But her over-worked lifestyle is killing her relationship with Mina. How will she get her back?


All's Fair in Love & Politics

Chapter 1: Bravery

A/N: This is what I am lovingly referring to as a few-parter. That means 4 chapters tops. As some of you know, I have "Silence" to contend with still, but hard as I'd try, whenever I sat down to type, this story kept happening. I was saving the plot for later, but my fics are like children; they cry and whine and want things _right now. _So here you go readers and reviewers. Enjoy!

Summary: Rei and Minako have been together since they were 14. They're 27 now and their relationship has begun to suffer because of Rei's hectic work schedule. You see, as a child, after the death of her mother, Rei was sent to the temple to live with her grandfather, but her father quickly noticed that she was starting to become immersed in religion. He couldn't see the merit in that and promptly took her back to live with him. Rei soaked in his life-lessons and studied hard, wanting to follow in his footsteps and stir in him some pride for her accomplishments. She got into Princeton, then Harvard Law and quickly became the youngest Senator in California. Clearly A/U, so no monsters and no sailor scouts (heck they're not even in Japan). Also there will be a few OOC moments. If you can't stomach that as a fan I totally understand, but I wouldn't understand if you kept reading and then started whining about it. Make life easier for everyone and read what you think you'll like, kiddies. Oh yeah, and this is rated M for later, so if you actually are a kiddie you should promptly go away.

. . .

The apartment door shut closed with more force and noise than she had meant it to, a fact which would be of little consequence if she wasn't trying so hard to be discrete.

A soft "damn it" escaped her lips; that too she hadn't meant to do. Nothing about tonight had panned out the way she'd wanted it to. She wondered if Minako would care about that part; the part where she didn't get what she wanted either. Most likely not. She started to unbutton the too-expensive name-brand shirt made to make her look like 'one of the people' (because the collar was blue) and toyed around with the thought of making a Scotch for herself. Was 2 AM too late to start drinking or too early?

She opened the master bedroom door and made sure not to let the handle go until she had softly clicked it close.

Minako was asleep in their bed, still dressed for a night of dinner, dancing, and painting the town a scarlet red with her paramour. Rei heaved a deep sigh as if in attempt to dispel the guilt that spread hotly through her body, _she's still in her dress. _

It was a pretty little number too; yellow satin, tight on the bodice with a short, ruffled skirt that draped around her as she slumbered.

She looked like a sunflower, fully blossomed, yellow petals fanning out around her to compliment the loveliness of her face.

Rei felt like an idiot.

_Who stands up a goddess?_

Minako would probably say something like that if she were awake. Rei smiled at the thought and undid her belt. She really hadn't meant to this time. Maybe she could have avoided it the _last_ time; left the luncheon early (but so many people were pulling at her wrists eager to talk business). And it's a Senator's duty to smile and nod and listen.

Still, it didn't look so good on her part that it was the third time this month that she had stood Minako up. She walked up to their bed and sat, unavoidably, on the dress' fabric. Her face softened with love and regret and she fingered the smooth, golden bangles that dangled from Minako's delicate wrist.

A frown creased the girl's sleeping brow and her eyes, still dusky with mascara, fluttered open.

Cerulean blue loved her for a full two seconds before Minako remembered she was looking into the gorgeous face of a total jerk.

"Jerk," and that was just how she greeted Rei.

"I'm sorry," the words had been perpetually on the Senator's lips when it came to Minako for the last year or so of their lifelong romance. She sounded just like her father after every missed archery match, recital, play, pretty much everything save for her graduation from Harvard Law.

"What you are," the words rolled contemptuously off the blonde's tongue, "Is pathetic."

"I know," Rei stroked her finger sullenly down Minako's hand, "I'm sorry."

"What you _are_," Minako repeated—

"Is pathetic?" Rei supplied, watching as the girl disentangled herself from the Senator and their bed-sheets. She was up and immediately assuming her usual outraged stance, hands on her hips with one leg pointed outward.

"Is a broken record, Rei Hino!" Minako fumed. She pointed a hand at herself, bracelets clanking against each other, "Do you see this? This took me _three hours _to put together, Rei! And _for what?_ To lie in bed and make up excuses for you! Well, there's no excuse for what you are, _you…you…_" She shook her head, disgusted, and stalked off in a huff. "There isn't even a _word _for what you are, you insensitive buffoon!"

"Really? 'Cause you just said like five of them," Rei followed Minako through their very modern penthouse apartment. It was a little too abstract for Rei's tastes, but then, she'd let Minako decorate it all on her own. Rei had been studying for the bar, and thus too busy to care.

"They don't fully capture the level to which you, Rei Hino…" Minako suspended her dramatic walk-off to try and find the one word that would encapsulate everything she felt about the other woman in that moment, "_Suck._"

"Hey now…" Rei tried to capture her arm but the minute her fingertips brushed against Minako's skin the girl recoiled, as if burned, and resumed walking away from her. "Hey…"

"Hey yourself!" Minako spit back at her, pausing at the door of their apartment. She was so close to it, she could almost see through the peep-hole. This was so surreal. She never imagined she'd ever _actually _leave. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. "I can't do this anymore, Reiko…"

"Sure you can!" Rei put a calming hand on the planes of Minako's trembling back. She pushed away the blonde locks that had been so meticulously brushed and left free-flowing in waves that slipped like silk through Rei's digits. They tickled the skin of her fingers. She kissed the delicate shell of Minako's ear, "I know things are hectic now, and I'm sorry about that. But I promise I'll clock out early tomorrow and take you out, _anywhere, _anywhere at all you want to go Mina."

Butterflies floated from the base of Minako's belly, up to swirl through the center of it, and higher to perch on her ribs, their wings fluttering against her heartstrings. Rei did this to her so easily.

"And you know we _do _have all the rest of tonight…why waste it?" Rei placed her other hand on Minako's front. She trailed her fingertips down from the skin between her breasts to her abdomen, stopping low in her belly to pull her close. She could feel Minako's ass flush with her front and barely resisted the primitive urge to grind against it.

"What do you say Mina-chan?" Her voice was low and husky in Minako's ear.

The blonde closed her eyes tight, trying to pull mentally away from the feel of Rei's hands on her, the voice that murmured hot, breathy vows in her ear, the expensive smell of a sharp perfume that meant…that meant luncheons and dinners and dignitaries and Minako alone in their apartment…_waiting. _She was brought back to reality then with a sick shudder.

Rei mistook it for lust, for consent. She spun Minako around and kissed her roughly. She could feel the blonde's lipstick staining the side of her own mouth from the force of their kiss.

Minako tore her lips away. She pushed back on expensive fabric–covered shoulders until there was finally distance between their bodies.

"What's wrong?"

Minako furtively looked away from those dark pleading eyes. They could travel into her, make her do anything. But the truth of the matter was the only two things Rei was any good at giving her were sex and promises. The latter were never fulfilled; the former…was a different story. But not enough to save their relationship…not by a long shot.

"It's not going to work this time, Rei," Minako's chin trembled, belying the tears that shimmered at the borders of her eyes, not yet spilling over, "I'm done."

"What?"

She took two backwards steps and turned the doorknob. And then she was gone.

. . .

Two hours later and Rei was nursing the same glass of Scotch. It wasn't making her feel any better. "She's crazy."

Makoto had stopped by after Ami had heard the news from Michiru. Things didn't stay a secret in this family for long. Rei had quietly let her in, not surprised at all by her appearance. Of course Ami would send her. Of course.

"Who, Minako?" Makoto looked up from the pasta sauce she was stirring. They'd been cohabitating in complete silence for an hour now. "For sticking around this long, maybe."

Rei glanced back at the kitchen, violet eyes obviously heated, "We have a nice life here, Mako. And she just left it. Just like that. After I worked _so_ hard to make sure she'd have everything."

Makoto continued stirring calmly, "Everything except the one thing she actually wanted."

"And what's that?"

"You," the brunette looked up to meet the Senator's incensed stare meaningfully, "Now come taste this. You'll eat and sleep and tomorrow you'll fix this. The right way."

. . .

Haruka sat, quietly humming a tune Minako did not know. The blonde's legs lolled in her lap as Haruka lazily painted her toenails red.

"You should sue."

Minako's eyes turned listlessly to look at her. They'd been staring blankly at the wall as she lied supine on Haruka's couch, her hair sprawled out in waves on the cushions. "Excuse me?"

Haruka shrugged, nail polish brush between her thumb and forefinger, "Sue…you should sue her. I mean this is basically a divorce, and you _have _become accustomed to a certain standard of living."

"You are _such _a lawyer, 'Ruka."

"I'm just _saying. _You've lived with her for seven years now, supported her through law school and a tedious career that completely stressed the entire relationship. You do all the housework, which is _hard, unpaid _work. And _not to mention _all the lovemaking, I mean the girl's practically been making love to Aphrodite for the past, what? 10 years?"

"Twelve."

"Jeez, you move fast."

Minako managed a small laugh that irritated her throat more than it lifted her spirits, "I'm not suing anybody, 'Ruka. I don't want anything from her. I just…" she sighed deeply and pinched her nose to try and fend away the headache she knew was coming, "I just want to figure out how to get over the love of my life."

Haruka looked uncomfortable and idly painted Mina's pinky-toe. Seriousness made her anxious. "I know. I just worry about you, is all. I don't know if you've noticed but out of work singer-songwriters aren't exactly making bank these days. I want to know that you're going to be okay."

Minako tried a brave smile on for size. And it fit. "I will be."

. . .


End file.
